Pistachio Baklava

What is a baklava

Baklava is a syrupy dessert made of lots of sheets of phyllo pastry. The sheets were buttered and layered with honey, syrup, and nuts. It is a common dessert of Greek, Iranian, Turkish, and Arab cuisines. Each region slightly tweaks the recipe to make it unique.

Modern baklava may have been originated in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire, then modified in Greece.

This pistachio baklava is the Constantinople (or Istanbul) version. I wanted to honor my paternal grandma Evgenia, an amazing woman from Poli, as Greeks still call the famous city. She was a Greek born in Constantinople at the beginning of the 2Oth century, in a big Greek community. She was one of the best cooks I have ever met. Her family gatherings are legendary for her culinary creations and the warm, welcoming atmosphere. Grandma Evgenia’s desserts were the real deal; you could not find anything like them at any shop.  I hope she would enjoy this baklava.

How to make this pistachio baklava

Ingredients

• Unshelled pistachio nuts
• Unsalted good quality butter or ghee melted
• Phyllo pastry sheets defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
• Sugar
• Lemon

1. Using a mortar and pestle, ground the pistachios until coarsely minced. You can also chop them by hand with a sharp knife.  You can use a food processor if you prefer but be extra cautious not to ground them too fine. The food processor method is not the most ideal because it releases the nut’s oils and changes the baklava flavor.
2. Heat oven to 400° F.
3. Brush the inside of a deep 10-by-15-inch baking pan with butter.
4. Trim the phyllo sheets with scissors to fit the bottom of your baking dish. Always cover phyllo layers with a lightly damp kitchen towel and keep covered.
5. Place two pieces of phyllo on the bottom of the baking pan; drizzle with butter.
6. Layer two phyllo sheets at a time, drizzling with butter as you go until 20 or so sheets are used.
7. Spread the broken pistachios on the phyllo in an even layer, then layer with the remaining phyllo, using the same drizzling method with butter every two sheets until 20 or so sheets are used.
8. Carefully, using a sharp knife, score the pastry into square or diamond shape pieces. Make sure to cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Pour the remaining butter evenly all over the pan.
9. Bake baklava until the top is golden brown, for about 45 minutes, but it could take an hour or a little more depending on your oven.
10. When the baklava is baked through and has a lovely golden brown color, remove it from the oven and let it cool a little. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Keep oven hot.

Make the syrup and finish the baklava.

1. In a medium pot, combine the sugar with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Pour the hot syrup all over the lukewarm baklava. Some may overflow, so place the baklava pan on a rack and a rimmed baking sheet. 
3. Put the pan back into the hot oven for about 5 minutes. Remove baklava and let it cool completely before serving. 

Check out these recipes

• A lovely berry mascarpone tart is a great and easy dessert.
• A sweet and tangy Meyer lemon ginger tart will wow fans of lemony desserts.
• These traditional (with my twist) peinirli – Greek pizza boats are delicious.
• Another great recipe is this pie with pastourma & kasseri.

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